The present invention relates to a shielding means for a needle of a container-needle assembly comprising a container having an elongate body, a needle and connecting parts for connecting the container releasably with the needle, said shielding means comprising two coaxial tubular bodies, an inner and an outer body, which are made to telescope in relation to each other. The outer tubular body is adapted to at least partially receive the body of the container, and the inner tubular body is adapted to be displaced from a retracted position in which the needle is exposed, to an advanced position in which the needle is surrounded by the inner tubular body.
The invention further relates to a container-needle assembly comprising a container having an elongate body, a needle and connecting parts connecting the container releasably with the needle and comprising a shielding means having two coaxial tubular bodies, an inner and an outer body, which are made to telescope in relation to each other. The outer tubular body is adapted to at least partially receive the body of the container, and the inner tubular body is adapted to be displaced from a retracted position, in which the needle is exposed, to an advanced position, in which the needle is surrounded by the inner tubular body.
In connection with blood sampling by means of puncture where a needle connected with a sample container is connected to a patient's bloodstream, there is a risk of accidental needle-stick to the user. This risk also exists in connection with injection of e.g. medicine where a fluid in a sample container is transferred to a patient via a needle. It is therefore desired to be able to shield the used needle without the user getting in contact with the needle. For that purpose, several different shielding means and container-needle assemblies as described in the opening part have been developed.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,447 (Morgan) and U.S. Pat. No. 5 318 547 (Altschuler) disclose shielding means comprising two coaxial tubular bodies, an inner and an outer body, which are made to telescope in relation to each other, the outer of which is adapted to receive the container of a container-needle assembly and to be secured to the far end of said container relative to the needle. An operation projection at the inner tubular body extends through a longitudinal slot of the outer tubular body and may be operated by a user in order to displace the inner tubular body to an advanced position in which it surrounds and shields the needle.
Said known shielding means are thus connected with the container-needle assembly at the far end of the container relative to the needle. However, during e.g. blood sampling it is preferable after usage of the container-needle assembly to be able to remove the container with the withdrawn blood sample from the other part of the container-needle assembly, thus facilitating the handling of the blood sample. Such a removal is not possible in connection with the known shielding means.